Few people have heard of the novel, The Gift of Gabe. A year ago evenfewer people had heard of it. In these days of big budget mass marketingbooks that are published by small publishers often have difficulty finding an audience. Without an advertising budget, word of this book has beenspreading.

~Early readers fascinated by the book’s inclusive spirituality,told others. An internet forum for people who study Gnosticism picked upon the book last summer making it their topic of discussion for twomonths. Some Beatles fans became interested after the reviewer for theonline music magazine, Ear Candy recommended it saying, “I was alsofascinated by the interpretations of Beatles lyrics in the book,especially after having read about every book imaginable on Beatles songanalysis.” Shortly after the review in Ear Candy information about thebook showed up on What Goes On, a website dedicated to Beatles news.Canadian readers with an interest in the paranormal picked up on the book after the author was interviewed on The X Zone Radio Show.

There has been buzz about the book by Beatles fans in places as far apart as Israel, The Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, and Russia, places far removed from thebook’s northern New England setting.

The book is the story of meeting aneccentric old man who discusses his spiritual philosophy including the belief that people who have had certain experiences can communicate these experiences to each other in a symbolic language that is not readily understandable to most people. What most readers find fascinating is that many familiar songs are interwoven throughout the story and looked at in a way that is unique and thought provoking.

A reviewer for Bookpleasuressaid, “Actually, it is primarily through Gabe’s radical interpretations of the mentioned songs that one tends to become convinced of hisperspective’s veracity.” Many of the songs are so familiar to people that the author was able to do this without directly quoting the lyrics. Areviewer for Mystic Living Today wrote, “There are many wonderful songs,book references, and passages throughout that are beautifully brought tolife under the author’s direct and interesting first person style.” While many readers seem to be focusing on the Beatles songs referenced in thebook, songs by Jimi Hendrix and others are also referenced by the maincharacter to help illustrate spiritual concepts. The volume of examplesgiven and the interconnections between songs and artists have led many to conclude that there is truth in what the main character says. One ofGabe’s claims is that during certain creative states some people can‘channel’ the Universal Mind and be unaware that they are doing so. Gabecites Plato and many others to support this concept. Purported examplesare given including songs by Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison. Gabebelieves that this experience is what some of the Sufi call shathiyat and what Joseph Campbell called transcendent poetry. What may be mostcontroversial is Gabe’s claim that this archetypical poetic experience is ‘the speaking in tongues’ of the early Christians. It is probably thisconcept that has appealed to readers who identify themselves as being ‘new age’. Word of the book has shown up on websites like The HolisticBulletin.

The reviewer for Mystic Living Today said, ” I would recommendthis book to anyone who likes an enlightened and spiritual read..” Aglowing review in the magazine Sub Rosa called the book “as original as it is inspirational.” One of the things that differentiates The Gift of Gabefrom other books in the visionary fiction genre is that it incorporates factual information and events in a way that is similar to historical fiction. Some readers have had a scholarly interest in the book seeing it as a modern myth that incorporates the philosophy of AldousHuxley, Alan Watts, G.I.Gurdjieff, and others.

While some are predicting that the book will become a countercultural classic, the book is clearly not for everyone. A reviewer for Round Table Reviews wrote, “The Gift of Gabe is well written, but the subject matter was too over the top for me.” The same reviewer still recommended the book for some saying, “Those with a strong interest in The Beatles and philosophy will be thrilled withBrian Joseph’s novel.”

For more information visit the official website http://www.giftofgabe.com/